How To Make Solid Perfumes

I took a class on How To Make Solid Perfumes ..... Wow, what an experience. You can find recipes all over the internet on How to Make Solid Perfumes but you canít find the experience.

Iíve always got my nose in some bottle of perfume or essential oil but to walk into the environment that this class was taught in, was pure heaven. A synergy of aromas met us at the door. The mood of the room was set as though we were going to have a quiet dinner in a dimly lit restaurant. Each of us had our own individual work station, not like a chemistry lab but more like sitting at a dinner table, having the ability to work and hold a conversation at the same time.

We were to bring our own containers, stainless steel or heat sensitive glass with a lid/top that would hold approximately one teaspoon to one tablespoon of solid perfume. The collection of containers were breathtaking. Some of the students had pill boxes that belonged to their grandmothers, glass containers with silver tops that used to hold their mothers wedding rings and soap stone jars about the size of a giant marble.

We began our class with an introduction to essential oils. Our instructor did not believe in synthetic oils. For those of us who had some experience with blending, we were allowed to be a bit more creative. But for the most part, we created what's known as a single note solid perfume. That's when you use one single essential oil to scent your perfume.

We were taught essential oil safety-

Do not leave the top off your oil, when exposed to air they evaporate easily
Test your choice on a small area of your skin for allergic reaction
Do not put them close to any heat
Keep them in a cool dark place.
Always store essential oils in dark brown or blue bottles

Now that the ground rules for working with oils were in place, we learned The Why of choosing a solid perfume. They fit easily into your purse, most recipes are easy to make and you can create a scent thatís personalized just for you.

Here are the ingredients we worked with -

One tablespoon of beeswax
One tablespoon of jojoba oil
Essential oil of our choice
A thin wooden stick to stir
A glass bowl
A sauce pan
A Small tin or glass container

Hereís what we did-

We started by measuring out a tablespoon of beeswax and a tablespoon of jojoba oil into our glass bowl.
We placed our sauce pan on top of the stove and added about an inch and a half of water.
We carefully placed our glass bowl into the sauce pan and heated the water to itsí boiling point. The beeswax began to melt.
We stirred the beeswax and jojoba oil until they melted. At this point we turned the heat off.
We added our essential oil, approximately 20 to 30 drops
We then poured our oil/blend into our container and allowed it to cool down and become solid.

Thatís it, the recipe is so simple but the experience was unforgettable.